Elves
This article is about the Elf race. For individual Elves, SEE: Arienne; Elladan. SEE ALSO: Talla Unica; Randall. Elves were an ancient species known for their appreciation of art and music. Elf music was such the envy of other races that they went to great length in a failed attempt to duplicate it. They also had a reputation for their fine craftsmanship, particulaly of shoes and children's toys. As an ancient race, Elves shared a certain affinity with dragons, as both were magical creatures and both endured for many thousands of years. History The Elves were once ruled by a noble Elf Lord. The Elves shared an early history with the Dwarf race, and were distantly related to them. Originally, Elves and Dwarves lived together in peace, until a wedge was driven between the two races and resulted in the Elves banishing the Dwarves from the forested lands. The Elf Lord and Dwarf King remained bitter enemies, putting aside their differences only long enough to imprison the fallen demon known as ''Dul Kark Ktacht''.'' Different Elf clans existed, including Wood Elves and Dark Elves and Grey Elves, each of them living an estranged existence from the others. Biology and Culture Elves were the most long-lived species among the Greater Races, and could live for many thousands of years. Elves were among the only races whose astral forms were capable of temporarily leaving their bodies and traveling along the ethereal plane to different locales. Many Elves them had subdermal creatures living beneath their skin that patrolled their bodies and rid them of impurities; they attributed their long lives at least in part to these creatures. Elves looked upon many of the other shorter-lived races as little more than children, regarding them with a combination of pity and disdain. They had a particular dislike of Dwarves, considering their machinery to be an abomination of nature. Elves did not elect leaders as other cultures did, but they did appoint individuals to provide direction over the course of a day. Elf warriors were capable of operating soundlessly. In battle, Elves tended to shun bulky weapons or armor, preferring to use their bare hands and arm themselves with incantations. Indeed, they were revulsed by the tendency of other races, like Dwarves, to appropriate metal ores from the Earth, smelting them and mixing them together to create unnatural machines. Elven cuisine was among the best in the world. They favored natural foods such as those made from grains or seeds, honey, or mushrooms. Elves were predominantly scholars and philosophers. They had a high appreciation for music and art that surpassed all other cultures. Their longevity allowed them to craft entire forests with carefully-planted trees that played songs in perfect pitch when the wind blew. Their statues, which took centuries to finish, reproduced the anatomy in perfect detail, right down to hair spun from silver or platinum. The specific placement of trees also served as a defensive measure; anyone standing more than seven trees' distance away would be completely obscured by an invader. Elven statues often pointed to the correct path to take to enter their domain; to take an incorrect path would mean to trigger a spell and become enchanted by it, draining their strength and slowing their reaction time. Elves lived in artificial domiciles constructed from trees that had reached the end of their life cycles. The structures were built around still-living trees, and included shifting floor panels and supports that would expand as the trees continued to grow. Elves were purported to have an ancient, enormous library filled with thousands of records of the past. Among them was a tome telling of the existence, and capture, of the Ancient One. Elves used magical talismans to create seals that could lock and unlock doors, preserve food, control their pets, and more. Only Elves possessed the knowledge to use them, making the seals a mystery to anyone who didn't possess, or know how to use, the talismans. Elven magic was largely limited to nature and its elements; they were far less effective when dealing with non-living objects. Behind the Scenes Elves were mentioned in both ''A Butterfly's Tale and The Quest for the World-Breaker, but no Elf characters were introduced until the third book, The Curse of the Fate Shifter. Category:Races